Entrepreneur JP Collett believes the future of the wellness industry is less disposable, more sustainable and unisex; and his ethos shines through in his elegant, yet slightly rugged, brand of body and skincare, natureofthings.
JP, whose identical twin brother Morgan is the founder of fashion brand Saturdays NYC, acquired his love of the outdoors from his upbringing in Newport Beach, Southern California. He then built his business acumen by following his passions into marketing and business development roles at companies including eyewear line Salt. and electronics brand Skullcandy.
“I was a young student at the height of the surf and action sports industries,” he says. “I pretty much lived my entire life outdoors, from the ocean to mountains to everything in between.
“Then when I began my professional career, I started working for lifestyle brands in action, sports, surf lifestyle, snowboarding and those worlds. I was traveling the world and learning what a sense of community, whether based around a sport or activity, does to build an engine for a brand.”
In 2018, following a senior role at the haircare brand Byrd that opened his eyes to the opportunities in the beauty and grooming sector, JP launched natureofthings alongside herbalist Jamie Pelayo. Their range treats body and skincare as part of our holistic self-care routine, as opposed to merely beauty or vanity, focusing on the ritual of bathing and cleansing as part of our regimen to achieve deeper health and happiness.
Promo art for natureofthings
JP explains, “The genesis was seeing brands incorporating CBD as a wellness ingredient, and that unlocked this idea that the future was going to be less about beauty and more about head-to-toe well-being.
“We wanted to create something that was less disposable, that people can participate with, and have a bit more pride in it either being on display throughout their home, or just being ingrained into their life.
“We felt our goal was to create this wellness house, so taking slithers of what fashion houses do, and own the world from the bathtubs to the vanities.”
The brand’s sustainable thinking can be seen and felt from the ingredients to the packaging across their range, which includes a Clarifying Facial Polish, which is a dry mineral-based powder activated by water, a Fortifying Magnesium Soak made for pain relief and muscle recovery, and plant-based digestible supplements in the form of their Lucidity Powder and Soothing Powder.
JP says, “The term ‘clean beauty’ is a little bit vague and we wanted to elevate that. All our formulas are truly either plant or mineral based. We tracked each ingredient back to source to ensure it was 100% plant-derived.
“If we can’t create something effective without the use of chemical-based derivatives, then we just won’t do it. We’re chasing the next evolution of what clean beauty or wellness should be, what we’re calling elemental beauty.
“And for the packaging, we thought about reusability and used a minimally branded vessel. After people take their last swipe of the jar, we want people to think twice before throwing it in the garbage because it can take a place somewhere else in your home.”
natureofthings products
JP, 37, believes the future of the men’s wellness industry is bright as an interest in health and well-being is growing more universal across generations. He sees men of his age changing their priorities, while the younger generation are already more focused on self-care.
He says, “Men coming out of their 20s, into their 30s and beyond, are starting to have a more conscious point of view about health, supplements and diet. Skincare is becoming a conscious thought, you’re not drinking as much, you’re not eating as much unhealthy food. And then the next evolution is for men to start thinking about how they take care of their mind and how they decompress.
“And then there’s the other big change; when I was a kid all I thought about was partying and drinking, even into my late 20s. But I have friends who are in their early 20s now, and these kids are not chasing that dream – they’re exercising and taking care of themselves.
“We’re not creating a brand for men or women, we’re creating a brand that sits in the middle of the vanity and both men and women are able to grab it and use it as part of their routine. And for men, it doesn’t feel like they’re putting makeup on, but doing what they need to do to preserve their healthiest state.”
